July 2018 Mississippi Gulf Coast Markers..

Among others, saw these on the trip:

June 24th Galax and the Crooked Road

This marker talked about the importance of music to Galax and the area:

Galax — The Crooked Road — Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail —

Inscription.  Galax. Much of America’s music was invented in Virginia, and Galax and surrounding communities have long been an epicenter for the keeping of historic sounds and the creation of new ones. Greenberry Leonard lived in the Old Town section of Galax and knew tunes he’d learned when Andrew Jackson was president. Leonard’s student, Emmett Lundy, born before the Civil War, brought those tunes to the 1930s and was recorded by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress. Made famous by early radio, the Hill Billies gave their name to hillbilly music. A Galax barbershop band, they were active from 1924 until 1932, performed for President Coolidge, made the first sound film devoted to country music (1928), and toured vaudeville theaters in the eastern USA. In 1927 Galax Mayor DaCosta Woltz created a band, the Southern Broadcasters, who made notable and influential recordings. The Galax Moose Lodge organized the first Old Fiddlers Convention in 1935. This weeklong annual event is the nation's most respected event of its type. The Rex Theater and many jam sessions in Galax offer music by local artists. Only “Two songs away from Galax” is the Blue Ridge Music Center, at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Center is home to live music performances and historic exhibits. The New River Trail State Park is a 57 mile  walking, bicycling, and equestrian trail that showcases a variety of scenic locations including Foster Falls and Chestnut Creek Falls. The river offers fishing, rafting, and canoeing opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast. The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Coalfields region, southwest Virginia is blessed with historic and contemporary music venues, musicians, and fretted instrument makers. Historically isolated, the region retained its strong musical legacy by passing traditions down through musical families to an appreciative community. Old time mountain music, bluegrass, and gospel can be enjoyed all year long and several museums are devoted to showcasing the area’s rich musical heritage. The Crooked Road winds through the ruggedly beautiful Appalachian Mountains and leads you to the major hotspots of old time mountain music, country music, and bluegrass. Alive and kickin’ for today’s fans, these venues preserve and celebrate musical traditions passed down through generations. Annual festivals, weekly concerts, radio shows, and jam sessions ring out to large audiences and intimate gatherings. Please visit the Crooked Road website to plan your trip to coincide with the current entertainment events. Erected by The Crooked Road. Location. 36° 40.078′ N, 80° 55.467′ W. Marker is in Galax, Virginia. Marker is at the intersection of East Stuart Drive (U.S. 221) and New River Trail State Park, on the right when traveling south on East Stuart Drive. Click for map. It is at the parking lot at the trailhead of the New River Trail State Park.   Marker is in this post office area: Galax VA 24333, United States of America.

June 24th Galax and the Railroad

This marker paid homage to the importance of the railroad in Galax's history:

The Railroad: Lifeline to the World

Inscription. As you stand here, with cars rushing by you, imagine what the roads in the Galax area must have been like when the City was incorporated in 1906. There were very few roads, and those that did exist were little more than muddy ruts. Thinking Ahead. That’s why the City’s founders, being forward-thinking businessmen that they were, had obtained a commitment from the Norfolk and Western Railway to extend the railroad 2.7 miles from nearby Blair—before the first lot in Galax was ever sold. They understood how important the railroad would be for moving people and goods. Galax’s Railroad Heyday. The railroad had originally come to the region north of Galax to transport the lead and copper that was disgorged from the profusion of mines in the mountains. The extension of a spur to Galax, however, changed the mix of products that moved out of the region. During its heyday, which began after World War I, the Galax Station served a very diverse group of businesses. These included furniture and mirror manufacturers, a milk condensation company, a weaving company, numerous farmers, and many others. For each of them, the railroad was a critical life-line to far away markets. An Ending and A Rebirth. Times change. As the mines played out and improvements in roads opened up other transportation options for the people in the area, it eventually resulted in the closing of the railroad branch serving Galax. The last regularly scheduled train left Galax at noon on November 15, 1985. Fortunately, that is not the end of the history. In 1986, Norfolk and Western donated to the State of Virginia the rights-of-way for the 57-mile portion of the rail bed between Galax and Pulaski. That land became the New River Trail State Park, which provides recreation for over one million people per year! Location. 36° 39.995′ N, 80° 55.6′ W. Marker is in Galax, Virginia. Marker is at the intersection of East Stuart Drive (U.S. 211) and North Main Street (Virginia Route 89), on the right when traveling west on East Stuart Drive

June24th Galax.Virginia

This marker welcomed you to the town of Galax, which is on the dividing line between 2 counties in Virginia.....

Learned a lot about the town on my visit-  the home of Mountain Music....

Inscription. The town is on the dividing line between Grayson and Carroll Counties. Its original name was Bonaparte, which was changed to Galax, the name of a mountain shrub abundant in the vicinity. In 1904 a spur of the Norfolk and Western Railroad came here, bringing the town into existence. It was incorporated in 1906.
Erected 1941 by Virginia Conversation Commission. (Marker Number U-26.)
Location. 36° 39.45′ N, 80° 55.362′ W. Marker is in Galax, Virginia. Marker is on South Main Street (Virginia Route 89) near the entrance to Felts Park, on the left when traveling south.

June 21 The Mother Church of the ARP in the South, Cedar Springs ARP

This is quite an impressive church out in the country, dating back to 1779-  

Cedar Spring
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
ABBEVILLE COUNTY

Cedar Spring Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, originally called Cedar Creek, is an old red brick house of worship used by a congregation founded in 1782 by Dr. Thomas Clark, who was originally from Scotland.

This, with the Lower Long Cane Associate Reformed Presbyterian, formed the nucleus of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in the South.

The original site of Cedar Spring Church was about two miles south east of the present location, and gained the name "Cedar Creek" from the handsome cedar tree and the fine spring nearby on Cedar Creek The first house of worship was built of logs.

The second was erected on the present site before the death of Dr. Clark in 1791. The Presbytery of the Carolinas and Georgia was organized at "Cedar Spring Meeting House" on February 24, 1790, by Dr. Clark, the Reverend Peter McMillan, the Reverend John Boyse, and the Reverend David Bothwell, ministers, and the Reverend James Rogers, probationer, and James McBryde and William Dunlap, ruling elders.

In 1802 the church had five hundred and twenty members, and as many as seven hundred are said to have taken communion at one time during this period.

The early pastors of Cedar Spring Church were: Dr. Thomas Clark, Alex Porter, John T. Pressley, the Reverend William R. Hemphill, and H. T. Sloan.

The present building was erected in 1853.

June 21 The Namesake of Bradley, SC, Patrick Bradley

Inscription:
Patrick H. Bradley 1813 - 1887
His efforts brought R.R. through this town which bears his name. He was (a) Brig. Gen (in the) State Malitia, Captain in Confederate War, Member of S.C. Legislature, Trustee of Erskine College and First President of the Augusta-Knoxville Railroad. He lived nearby and is buried in Cedar Springs Church Yard.

Bradley is located in southwestern Greenwood County on US 221. It first thrived as a mid-19th century railroad town. Patrick H. Bradley was an early champion of the railroads and used his influence to bring a station to his own community. When it was time to name the new depot, townspeople agreed it should be named for him.

After serving as a Captain in the State Militia during the Civil War, Bradley also served in the state legislature, was a trustee of Erskine College, and he was the first President of the Augusta-Knoxville Railroad.

Patrick H. Bradley is buried at Cedar Springs A.R.P. Church,

June 21 The Long Cane Massacre and Long Cane ARP Troy, SC

There are two markers side by side in the town of Troy:  The first is for the Long Cane Massacre:

The Long Cane Massacre took place near here, and was between Native Cherokees and American Settlers back in 1760!

Long Canes separated British South Carolina from the Cherokee Nation. Since this was right on the edge of civilization it was a risky place to live. Forts were established to serve as protection for the region.  The Cherokee had been useful to the British in w.resting the lands from the French control.  After the French were driven out the British started moving in.  The Cherokee Indians were probably incensed by the continued increase in the number of settlers in the region.  In 1760 they attacked settlers as part of what has become known as the Cherokee War of 1759-61. It was front page headlines and a devastating event for the settlers.  The story as it was told in the newspaper as well as from survivor retelling has been pretty well developed.  It seems that the Indians were striking at isolated farms, stealing, and slaying anyone in the way. The settlers decided to band together and leave the region by wagon train.   They were waylaid by about a hundred Cherokee on their way to Augusta.  Of the hundred and fifty settlers there may have been fewer than seventy-five adults and perhaps forty male defenders based on newspaper records and the sizes of typical families.  They were probably slowed down by the wagons and overtaken by surprise at a river fording.  Its remarkable to me that only twenty-three settlers were slain. Several children were slain and scalped and a few were taken as prisoner. One very famous case was Ann Calhoun who was taken at age five and returned after twelve years of living with the Indians.   She later married and had a normal life as the wife of a settler.

The other sign addresses one of the big churches in the area, the Long Cane ARP